Historical Markers

In April 1999, the University of Arkansas unveiled a set of institutional historical
markers designed to commemorate significant research and intellectual achievements,
notable leaders, outstanding alumni, historic events, sites and campus lore.

Uncover the many achievements of our University through the history detailed in the
markers.

The $300 Million Gift

The marker says: On April 11, 2002, the University received the largest gift in the
history of U.S. public higher education — a $300 million challenge gift from the Walton
Family Charitable Support Foundation. The gift established and endowed an undergraduate
honors college and the graduate school. Its express purpose was to elevate the University
and the State of Arkansas, “placing an aspiring flagship public university on a level
playing field with the best public universities in America.” The gift was the fifth-largest
ever to any American university, public or private. The Walton Family Charitable Support
Foundation was established by the family of the late Sam M. Walton, creator of the
world’s largest corporation, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. of Bentonville, Ark.

This marker is located at the northwest corner of Maple Street and Lindell Avenue.

Advances in Nutrition

Agricultural Chemistry Professors Barnett Sure (1920-51) and Marinus C. Kik (1927-67)
made major advances in nutrition science during their long tenures at the University
of Arkansas. Sure co-discovered vitamin E, and extended knowledge of how vitamin E,
amino acids and B-vitamins function on reproduction and lactation. Kik developed the
process for parboiling rice to increase retention of vitamins and shorten cooking
time. He documented benefits of adding fish and chicken to rice and grain diets to
provide adequate protein for a growing world population. Sure and Kik were Agricultural
Experiment Station scientists and professors in the UA Department of Agricultural
Chemistry, which merged in 1964 with Home Economics, now the School of Human Environmental
Sciences.

This marker is located at the south entrance to the Human Environmental Sciences Building.

Arkansas Archeological Survey

The Arkansas Archeological Survey, created by the state legislature in 1967, and the
University of Arkansas Museum-which houses the worlds best collection of Arkansas
Native American materials-joined forces with the Arkansas Archeological Society to
construct the first statewide, state-supported archeological program in the United
States. Coordinated by the University of Arkansas from Fayetteville, the Survey has
research stations at seven universities, two state parks and the city of Blytheville.
Each station has a full-time archeologist whose work is to record, preserve and make
publicly available new knowledge on 10,000 years of human existence in Arkansas. The
program has been a model for other states and nations.

The Arkansas Archeological Survey marker was near the southeast corner of the Old
Field House. It was removed during renovation of the Field House into the Faulkner
Performing Arts Center and will be reinstalled at an appropriate location.

Campaign for the Twenty-First Century

The Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, considered the most ambitious fund-raising
effort undertaken by an organization in Arkansas, spanned 3/1/1998-6/30/2005. The
$500-millin Campaign's objective was to raise funds for scholarship and faculty endowments,
capital improvements, program support and annual giving. The goal was reached, then
raised to $900 million. That goal was attained and raised to $1 billion, placing the
University among 24 other institutions in America actively engaged in such drives.
The Campaign finished by raising more than $1 billion, significantly augmenting the
institution's endowment. Commemorating the Campaign's transformational impact and
symbolizing that the University's "time has come," the Campaign Steering Committee
gave gifts to add a clock to Old Main's south tower, a part of the structure's original
design, finally realized 130 years later.

This marker is located near the northwest corner of Maple Street and Lindell Avenue
next to University House.

Chicken of Tomorrow

Entrepreneurs who built Arkansas' poultry industry into a major force in the world
economy had close ties to the University of Arkansas as graduates and as industry
partners in research and education. U.S. Vice President Alben Barkley spoke at the
national "Chicken of Tomorrow" awards program in a packed Razorback Stadium in 1951.
Contestants were private breeders who ultimately provided the genetic stock for the
standard commercial broiler. The contest and a UA testing service for breeders spawned
a partnership of scientists and entrepreneurs meeting public demand for economical,
wholesome poultry. This partnership led, in the 1990s, to the University's nationally
recognized Center of Excellence for Poultry Science.

This marker is normally located on Maple Street at the driveway entrance to the John
W. Tyson Building. It was removed during street construction and will be reinstalled
at a future date.

Chi Omega

The Chi Omega Greek Theater was built in 1930 as a gift from Chi Omega, the national
women's fraternity (sorority) that was founded at the University of Arkansas in 1895
when four coeds and a faculty adviser chartered the mother chapter, Psi. Since then,
Chi Omega has become the largest women's fraternity in the nation, with 240,000 current
members and alumnae in 172 chapters. The Psi chapter house is located at 940 Maple
Street. The Greek Theater is a replica of one built at the foot of the Acropolis in
ancient Athens to honor Dionysus. It has been used for commencements, concerts, and
many other events.

The Chi Omega marker is located on McIlroy Avenue north of the Chi Omega Greek Theatre.

Clintons on Law Faculty

The nations 42nd President, William J. Clinton (1993-2001), and First Lady, Hillary
Rodham Clinton, were faculty members of the University of Arkansas School of Law in
the mid-1970s. Mr. Clinton started in 1973, teaching Trade Regulation, Admiralty,
Criminal Procedure, Federal Jurisdiction, and Constitutional Law. Ms. Rodham came
in 1974, teaching Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Trial Advocacy and Prison Project.
She also founded the Legal Clinic program and taught it every semester. They were
wed at their home at 930 California Blvd. on Oct. 11, 1975. The couple left at the
end of 1976 so Mr. Clinton could begin work as Arkansas new attorney general.

This marker is located on the north side of the School of Law, on Maple Avenue.

Cotton Stacking

From 1962-71, UA Agricultural Engineering Professor Xzin McNeal designed, built, tested
and developed the nations first successful pallet trailer system of stacking and storing
cotton. His system solved the temporary storage problem created by the rapid adoption
of mechanized harvesting, which produced supplies of seed cotton at rates that far
exceeded the processing capacity of gins. McNeals solution: wooden pallets on which
seven to eight bales of cotton could be stored in the field and later loaded onto
a trailer for transport to the gins. His pallet storage system-now used wherever American
cotton is produced-also improved the quality of the fiber following the ginning process.

The Cotton Stacking Marker is located near the north entrance to the John A. White
Engineering Hall.

Creative Writing

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, a 60-hour program begun at the University
of Arkansas in 1966, has grown into one of the most productive and highly-ranked programs
of its kind in America. Founded by English professors William Harrison and James Whitehead,
and later joined by Miller Williams, the program was in the vanguard of a revolution
to transform the traditional study of literature into a demanding training ground
for young writers. The writer-teachers and writer-students in the program, many of
whom have won national fame and honors, have produced hundreds of works of fiction,
poetry, creative non-fiction and translation.

This marker is located on McIlroy Avenue at the middle entrance to Kimpel Hall.

The Dale Bumpers Legacy

The marker says: The University of Arkansas in July 1995 added Dale Bumpers to the
name of the College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences to honor the former Governor,
1971-1975, and U.S. Senator, 1975-1999. He helped propel Arkansas agricultural and
food industries to international prominence, championed major legislation to protect
and conserve natural resources and promote environmental sustainability, and was a
leading advocate for child wellness, nutrition, healthy lifestyles and human dignity.
He secured funding for major expansion of agricultural, food and life sciences education
and research. A former rancher and attorney from Charleston, he was a famous Senate
orator — one of few who could affect the course of legislation with his oratorical
skills.

This marker is located near Maple Avenue just southeast of the east entrance to the
Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Building.

This marker is located in front of the Delta Delta Delta chapter house at 920 W. Maple
St.

Development of Arksoy

"Arksoy," the first Arkansas soybean variety, was developed by agronomy professor
Chalmers K. McClelland and released by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
in 1928. Agronomist Charles E. Caviness and plant pathologists H.J. "Jack" Walters
and Robert D. Riggs developed improved varieties with genetic resistance to Phytophthora
root rot and soybean cyst namatode, which increased yields and more than doubled the
state acreage suitable for soybeans. Soybean acreage exceeded that of cotton in 1956
to become Arkansas' largest field crop.

This marker is located in the courtyard between the Agriculture Building and the Agriculture
Annex.

Early Integration

The University of Arkansas became the first major Southern public university to admit
a black student without litigation when Silas Hunt of Texarkana, an African American
veteran of World War II, was admitted to the University's law school in 1948. Roy
Wilkins, administrator of the NAACP, wrote in 1950 that Arkansas was the "very first
of the Southern states to accept the new trend without fighting a delaying action
or attempting to . . . limit, if not nullify, bare compliance." Silas Hunt Hall, across
from the law school, was dedicated in his honor as the student admissions center in
1993.

This Marker is located along Maple Avenue on the north side of Silas Hunt Hall.

First Biological Herbicide

University of Arkansas plant pathologists George Templeton, Roy Smith (USDA), David
TeBeest and graduate student Jim Daniels conducted research in the early 1970s that
led to COLLEGO, the first biological herbicide for weed control in a field crop. Other
UA scientists and students worked on the project that resulted in EPA registration
of COLLEGO by Upjohn in 1982 for control of northern jointvetch in rice and soybeans.
The work provided a model used worldwide to develop biological herbicides. Leadership
in this area helped the U of A obtain grants from the USDA and others for construction
of the Rosen Center for Alternative Pest Control.

This marker is located on Maple Street at the northeast entrance to the Rosen Center
for Alternate Pest Control.

First International Agriculture Mission

In 1951, through what is now the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life
Sciences, the University of Arkansas became the first land-grant institution in the
nation to assemble an agricultural foreign mission. Developed in concert with the
U.S. government, the UA mission assisted Panama in establishing agricultural teaching,
research and extension programs. The mission ended in 1957, but some of the 24 UA
faculty members involved continued to assist Panama on agricultural issues. One faculty
member, animal scientist Paul Noland, received Panamas top award for a non-Panamanian
in 1997 for his contributions to the development of that nation’s agricultural sector.

This marker is located at the main entrance to the Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Building.

First Variable Annuity

In May 1954, University of Arkansas Finance Professor Harold A. Dulan, with UA Law
Professor E.J. Ball and UA master of business administration graduate Lewis Callison,
created the nations first commercial variable annuity life insurance company. In November
1954, the Participating Annuity Life Insurance Company sold the first commercial variable
annuity ever offered to the U.S. public. This pioneer company was later bought by
Aetna. Today, variable annuities are used world-wide in estate planning for participation
in economic growth and as a hedge against inflation.

This marker is located at the east entrance of the Business Building.

Insect Pest Management

Professor Dwight Isely of the Department of Entomology (1921-51) may be considered
the father of insect pest management in the United States. His research established
the weak point in the life cycle of insects that made them particularly susceptible
to control strategies. Through his work on cotton insect pests, the codling moth,
the striped cucumber beetle, southern corn rootworm, and rice water weevil, millions
of dollars were saved in American agriculture.

This marker is located between near the south entrance to the Agriculture Building.

The Leflar Legacy

Dr. Robert A. Leflar (1901-97) of the University of Arkansas School of Law was one
of the nation's leading scholars in the field of conflict of laws. He taught at the
School of Law for more than 60 years, and directed the Appellate Judges Seminars at
New York University for 30 years. He served as Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme
Court and presided over two state constitutional conventions. As Dean, he orchestrated
the desegregation, without litigation, of the School of Law in 1948—making the U of
A the first major Southern public university to open its doors to African Americans.

This marker is located along Maple Street on the north side of the School of Law.

Nuclear Chemistry

In the 1950s, Professor Paul Kuroda of the University of Arkansas' Department of Chemistry
predicted that self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions could have occurred naturally
in earth's geologic history. In 1972, his prediction was confirmed when scientists
discovered a natural nuclear reactor in Gabon, Africa. In 1960, he predicted the existence
of Plutonium-244 as an element present during the solar system's formation. Confirmation
of his theory enabled scientists to more accurately date the sequence of events in
the solar system's early history. Kuroda's two papers on these topics were featured
in "The 20th Century's 85 Benchmark Papers in Nuclear Chemistry," edited by Nobel
laureate Glenn Seaborg.

This marker is located at the main entrance to the Chemistry Building.

Old Main

The construction of University Hall, completed in 1875, set a seal of permanence on
the University. The building was constructed of local materials by the firm of Mayes
and Oliver, under the close supervision of Judge Lafayette Gregg of Fayetteville.
In its long life, it has housed many academic departments and administrative functions,
as well as a gymnasium, a chapel, the University Museum, the University Library, and
the campus bookstore. Its imposing appearance and hillside location make it an icon
of learning for the entire state. After being closed for nearly a decade, the building
was extensively renovated and rededicated in 1991 as Old Main.

This marker is located at the main entrance to Old Main.

Phi Alpha Theta

Phi Alpha Theta, the only national honor society in History and the largest honor
society devoted to a single academic discipline, was founded at the University of
Arkansas. On March 14, 1921, Dr. Andrew Cleven, Assistant Professor of History, met
with students in Old Main to form a University Historical Society. A month later it
was reorganized as a fraternal honor society, Phi Alpha Theta, open to both men and
women. Its purpose was to encourage research and the diffusion of historical information
"through socialized avenues." Dr. Cleven founded a second chapter at the University
of Pittsburgh in 1922 and Phi Alpha Theta became national in 1924.

This marker is located at the northeast corner of Old Main.

The Razorbacks

Following a 16-0 victory over LSU in Memphis on Nov. 13, 1909, the University of Arkansas
football team was greeted at the Fayetteville Train Station across the street by a
crowd of fans and students. Arkansas was 5-0 after the win and would finish 7-0. Head
coach Hugo Bezdek delivered a speech to the crowd, saying the team played “like a
wild band of razorback hogs.” The name was a hit with the student body, which voted
in 1910 to change the official mascot from Cardinals to Razorbacks, giving Arkansas
one of the most unique and recognizable mascots in the country. This marker was placed
in recognition of 100 years of the Razorbacks.

This marker is located on Dickson Street across from the historic Fayetteville Train
Depot and next to the Frisco Trail.

Schola Cantorum

Founded in 1957 by Professor of Music Richard Brothers, this 32-voice mixed choir
of University of Arkansas students quickly gained worldwide critical acclaim. In 1962,
Schola Cantorum [Latin for 'School of Singers'] became the first American choir to
win the coveted first prize — the Guido d'Arezzo Award — at the prestigious International
Polyphonic Competition in Arezzo, Italy. In honor of its achievement, Schola Cantorum
soon after appeared on NBC-TV's "Today Show" and performed for U.S. President John
F. Kennedy in the White House Rose Garden. In 1964, the choir was invited to the Vatican
in Rome to sing for Pope Paul VI.

This marker is located at the entrance of the George and Boyce Billingsley Music Building.

Senior Walk

Begun by the Class of 1906, Senior Walk contains the names of more than 120,000 graduates,
beginning with the first class inscribed at the foot of the Old Main steps. It is
a unique, much-loved tradition of the University, covering nearly five miles of paved
walks throughout the campus. Originally stamped by hand, the names are now etched
by a machine known as the Senior Sand Hog, invented in 1986 by University Physical
Plant employees.

This Marker is located on the plaza just northeast of the Arkansas Union.

Six Pioneers

Six African-American students from Arkansas pioneered the integration of the University
of Arkansas through its School of Law between 1948-51. Silas Hunt was the first to
enroll, but he died of illness in 1949. The first to graduate, in 1951, was Jackie
Shropshire, who became an attorney in Indiana. Enrolling in 1949 were George Haley,
who went on to become U.S. Ambassador to Gambia; Chris Mercer, who became a Little
Rock attorney; and Wiley Branton, who served as dean of the Howard University Law
School. The sixth pioneer was George Howard, Jr., who became U.S. District Judge,
Eastern District of Arkansas.

The Six Pioneers marker is located along Garland Avenue near the northwest corner
of the School of Law.

The State and Land-Grant University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas came into being under the Morrill Land-Grant College Act
of 1862, through which federal land sales established colleges devoted to "agriculture
and mechanic arts," scientific and classical studies, and military tactics for the
"liberal and practical education of the industrial classes." It also satisfied the
provision in the Arkansas Constitution of 1868 that the General Assembly "establish
and maintain a State University." Fayetteville and Washington County raised $130,000
for the new college, which held its first classes January 22, 1872, on the William
McIlroy farmstead, a location described as "second to none in the state of Arkansas."

This Marker is located on the Old Main Arboretum near southeast entrance to campus
at Arkansas Avenue and Dickson Street.

Statistical Avian Ecology

In 1970-71, zoology graduate students Frances C. James and Herman Henry Shugart Jr.,
working in professor Douglas A. James laboratory, published papers that introduced
a new way to determine aspects of the environment associated with habitat selection
by animals. Developed in collaboration with mathematics professor James E. Dunn, the
James-Shugart method used multivariate statistics to identify important environmental
factors in ecological studies of birds and other animals. Their approach allowed scientists
to simplify ecological complexity by identifying its meaningful components and has
been used widely since their pioneering efforts.

This marker is located at the northeast entrance of Daniel E. Ferritor Hall.

Stone's Architecture

This marker says: The Fine Arts Center, dedicated in 1951, was designed by one of
the giants of 20th Century architecture, Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978), a Fayetteville
native and former University of Arkansas student. His innovative design combined facilities
for music, drama, and the fine arts programs, which were being expanded to reach more
students in the post-war curriculum. Stone was architect for the Kennedy Center in
Washington, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
For the Fayetteville campus, he also designed Carlson Terrace apartments and the Sigma
Nu house.

The marker is located in the east courtyard of the Fine Arts Center.

Superconductivity

During the 1980s, Professors Allen Hermann and Zhengzhi Sheng of the Department of
Physics were in the vanguard of research in superconductivity ¬ the phenomenon whereby
Direct Current (DC) electricity, once started, can flow essentially forever. The Thallium-based
material they discovered at Arkansas held the world's record for high temperature,
125K, for five years (1988-93) and drew international attention to the University.
Their work led to numerous patents and a manufacturing agreement, as well as further
advances in high-density electronics.

This marker is located along Dickson Street at the north entrance to the Physics Building.

Teacher Education

The University of Arkansas is distinctive among the nation's land-grant universities
in that it incorporated teacher education from its inception. After the Civil War,
the growing demand for public school teachers was met mainly by the establishment
of free-standing "normal schools" in the various states. In Arkansas, however, the
Organic Act of 1871 mandated "the location, organization and maintenance of the Arkansas
Industrial University with normal department therein." The Normal Department opened
in 1872 and, for decades, the University of Arkansas was the largest supplier of teachers
statewide. Its College of Education and Health Professions continues that tradition
as one of the leading producers of teachers.

This marker is located at the entrance to Peabody Hall.

Trail of Tears

On Jan. 13, 1839, a group of 1,100 Cherokees led by John Benge passed through the
frontier village of Fayetteville. They were traveling on the Trail of Tears from the
Cherokee homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to 'Indian Territory' (Oklahoma),
as part of the forced removal of nearly 13,000 Cherokees ordered by President Andrew
Jackson and the U.S. Congress. The Benge party camped on the hillside to the north
and east of this marker, near a creek and pond, secured supplies and repaired their
wagons. They headed west on the Cane Hill road the next day, arriving in Indian Territory
on Jan. 17, 1839.

This marker is currently not standing although another historical marker is at the
site.

Walton Family Gift

On October 6, 1998, the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation of Bentonville,
Ark., made a $50 million gift to the Universitys College of Business. At the time,
the gift was the largest ever made to an American business college and ranked as one
of the 40 largest gifts made to American higher education since such record-keeping
began in 1967. The gift was earmarked for endowments to support the Colleges emergence
into the ranks of the nations most competitive business schools. The College was renamed
the Sam M. Walton college of Business in honor of the founder of Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc., the worlds largest retail organization.

This marker was located at the main entrance to the Business Building but was taken
down while work on the entrance was being completed. It will be reinstalled when possible.

Wide Area Bar Reader

The most widely-implemented automated mail sorting equipment in the world-the Wide
Area Bar Code Reader-was developed by the University of Arkansas College of Engineering.
A $50,000 grant from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to Professors Dwight F. Mix and
J.E. Bass in 1989 began the research and development effort. By 1999, more than 15,000
University of Arkansas bar code readers were located in every major USPS facility,
increasing the efficiency of processing 20 billion pieces of mail a year at a savings
of $200 million. This R&D effort has spawned four additional electronic systems to
help the USPS read the mail.

This marker is located at entrance to the Bell Engineering Center.

World Famous Architect

The marker says: Professor Fay Jones (1921-2004) achieved international fame for designing
soaring sacred spaces and modern homes warmed by native materials. He received numerous
awards, culminating in the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, presented
in a 1990 White House ceremony. The AIA later honored Jones as one of the country's
"10 most influential living architects" and ranked his masterwork, Thorncrown Chapel,
as the fourth best building by an American architect in the 20th century. A member
of the university's first graduating class of architecture students, Jones taught
for 35 years and served as the School of Architecture's first dean; the school was
named for him in 2009. Jones' papers are archived in the University of Arkansas Libraries.
His last project, the Fulbright Peace Fountain, is installed in front of Vol Walker
Hall. The marker is next to the Fulbright Peace Fountain near the east entrance to
Vol Walker Hall.

This marker is located at the east entrance to Vol Walker Hall.

The History of the Program

"The University of Arkansas has a proud past and the historical markers program gives
us a visible way of celebrating it," said then-Chancellor John A. White when the program
was created. "This program brings our legacy to the attention of the hundreds of thousands
of people who walk our campus every year - conference attendees, visiting scholars,
speakers, executives and guests, prospective students and their families, alumni,
and sports fans - not to mention our own students, faculty and staff.

"What we're also trying to do through this program is to showcase the true nature
of the university as a generator of knowledge, an educator of men and women, and a
public servant, in ways that profoundly impact the human condition," White added.
"In a sense, we're utilizing the university's past to position it for the future —
as an emerging national research university that has delivered great benefits to the
people of Arkansas and the nation and promises to do even more in the years to come."

The Arkansas Alumni Association funded the historical markers program through its
first 15 years.

"We're excited about the program because it gives the Alumni Association a means for
preserving and communicating to a wide audience what is truly unique and great about
this university," said H. Lawson Hembree, then-president of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

The Markers

Subjects for commemoration in a historical marker were determined by the university's
historical marker committee, chaired by the associate vice chancellor for university
relations with representatives from the faculty and staff who were familiar with campus
history.

The markers, designed by the office of university relations, are modeled loosely on
roadside historical markers that are erected by many states, but the university's
markers are tailored to pedestrians rather than autos. Made of bronze with gold lettering
on a black background, the 17" x 24" plaques are affixed to poles at eye-level for
easy reading. The markers were placed at sites appropriate to the subjects they are
commemorating.

Cost of purchasing and installing historical markers was borne by the Arkansas Alumni
Association.

Criteria for Selection

Suggestions for markers were generated by the historical marker committee or through
open submissions from the university community. The committee made its selections
based primarily on a proposed subject's historical significance. All subjects had
to meet the primary criteria of being an event, achievement, program, person or place
that broadly influenced society in a scientific, technical, intellectual, artistic
or cultural context, and that has appeal or relevance to those outside the university
community as well as those within.

Other criteria considered by the committee in selecting historical markers included:

Did the subject differ from events, achievements, programs, people and places at other
institutions?

If a person is the subject, was that person still directly affiliated with the university?
No person still affiliated with the University of Arkansas may be honored with a historical
marker.

The marker also had to be able to communicate its message clearly in about 90 words
or less, and any proposed text was reviewed and edited by the historical marker committee
and appropriate university officers for content accuracy.

Site selection for historical markers was done in consultation with the office of
facilities management.